Why, oh why did Dr. Jones schedule an appointment in mid-December? Who has time for that? My heart is fine. As holiday prep time grew shorter, my to-do list grew longer. My peace meter registered closer to frayed-at-the-seams-frantic than to Christmas card-perfect. “This appointment is a waste of time,” I said to my husband. “I have so much to do before Christmas. I need to shop and send cards, and I need to decorate the tree.” My feisty cardiologist had scheduled an echocardiogram, and trust me, no one argues with Dr. Jones. She ordered this test and others…
Tag: Christmas
The Loving Hands of Christmas
With rounded shoulders, she stooped low to scoop pecans from the leaf-covered ground of the orchard. My maternal grandmother, poor by the world’s standards, shelled pecans with arthritic, age spot speckled hands. She then placed them in dime-store containers and presented them as Christmas gifts. Pain-filled hands laboring to give. My mother created sequined stockings with embroidered names for her grandchildren who raced each year to see them hanging from the mantle. In addition to delighting them with her sewing, Mama’s flour-dusted hands shaped angel biscuits each Christmas morning. Willing hands serving the family. My dad’s hands restocked the…
Christmas Cleaning
Clean and Christmas just go together, don’t they? We clean so that we can decorate, and then we clean and remove containers after decorating. We clean before cooking delicious meals and baking, and then we wash the pots and pans until our fingertips turn into “raisins.” We clean before company comes and then vacuum and straighten the house when they leave., So much cleaning! Our homes should be diamond-sparkly this time of year. (Remember the old Mr. Clean commercials?) Although our homes where people and pets live are rarely, if ever, spotless, we do like tidiness at holiday time. Before…
Echo of the Heart
Yesterday, an echocardiogram revealed important information about my heart. I’m thankful the report was good. During the procedure, I was amazed to see the inner workings of my heart on the screen. As the tech moved the probe around, some views showed all four chambers working in tandem, and some views showed how valves were operating. This technology enables cardiologists to assess heart health by observing the heart muscle at work and checking the efficiency of its pumping action. Beyond the view of modern medicine, God sees into our heart of hearts. . . . For the Lord sees not…
Holiday Prep: Take a Break First!
At the beginning of each month, I post ideas for meaningful gifts to help us share joy and encouragement with other people. Guess what. This month, the gift idea is for Please nestle into a comfy chair and accept this package, beautifully wrapped and bearing a tag with your name on it. Take a deep breath first and lay aside your to-do list for a few minutes. Yes, this present is for you. Ready? Now pull off the ribbon. Lift the lid and move the tissue paper aside. Is that not the most beautiful gift you’ve seen in ages? What?…